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I was watching a History Channel special on Islam tonight. I'm beginning to think you are on to something regarding Maccabees and the Kaba of Mecca. According to the show there was a significant Jewish and Christian population in Mecca at the time of Mohammad, and the dominant aritocratic group was called the Koraish. Koraish sounds very Persian. Compare Koraish with Koresh, a form of the name Cyrus, which also has links to the name David.

According to a quick Internet search, the Koraish were also considered to be a Jewish tribe and Mohammad was also associated with this tribe in some way. Afterwards however he became an enemy of the Koraish and was forced out of Mecca. He went to Medina, which at that time was called Yathrib. Here is that name Joarib from the Book of 1 Maccabees and Josephus. According to the Book of 1 Maccabees Joarib was the great ancestor of the Maccabees. According to Josephus it was instead a priestly designation. Perhaps it was all these things plus an ancestral home.

It is interesting also that once Islam grew in power, the political center was moved to Mesopotamia (Baghdad, near ancient Babylon) by the Abbasid dynasty.